World Series memories abound as spring training commences

It was the best World Series ever. And that’s not just because the Houston Astros won. With each game besting the previous, the 2017 series will not soon be forgotten.

In one way or another, the whole city got in on the action and JLL employees were no exception.

Witnessing history

The Astros began making history even before winning the World Series.

In winning Game 7 of the ALCS, the Astros became the first team to advance to the World Series in both the National and American Leagues.

Research Manager Rachel Alexander and her husband, Logan, were there to witness it.

“It was unreal,” said Rachel. “I’ve never seen that type of energy before, and it was awesome to be part of.”

The game served as the couple’s first real date night since the birth of their son, Jake, now 8 months old. Rachel and Logan got tickets from a friend who is a season ticket holder.

“He called us the day-of to see if we wanted to go for face value on the tickets. It was too good of an opportunity to say no,” said Rachel, who described the entire experience as memorable. “We became friends with everyone around us. There were high fives after every out or hit, and it was amazing to be a part of the win that carried them into the World Series.”

“Amazing,” “unreal” and “magical” were commonly used to describe the experience of those who attended post-season games.

Associate Account Manager Anne Ormsby and her husband, Zach, attended Game 3 of the World Series, an experience that was a dream come true for Anne, who recalls her family attending games at both the Astrodome and Minute Maid Park.

“It’s an experience I’ll never forget,” she said.

Anne and Zach attended a handful of games this season, but watched most at home because of Zach’s graduate school schedule. On a whim, Anne bought herself a single ticket to Game 2 of the ALCS, while her husband was in China for school.

“It was electrifying,” Anne said of her solo playoff game. “I made a promise to myself that if we went to the World Series we’d try and go.”

As it would turn out, Anne and Zach received tickets to Game 3 of the World Series as a gift. The National Anthem, JJ Watt’s first pitch and the final inning were just some of Anne’s favorite moments from the game.

The next night, Vice President Anya Marmuscak and Senior General Manager Lisa Skelton were both in attendance at Game 4.

Anya, who also attended Game 2 of the ALCS, described the sellout crowd as “electric.” She was fortunate enough to be hosted in a box by a friend and in a fun turn of events ended up in a box next to Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez.

Besides the celebrity spotting and amazing baseball being played, Anya said the “Stand up for cancer” tribute after the fifth inning was a special moment in the game.

“Seeing everyone in the crowd hold up their ‘I STAND FOR’ placards gave me chills and was incredibly touching.”

Lisa Skelton attended Game 4 with her husband and two kids, Cris and Laine.

“We, like most Houstonians rode the Astros wave all the way through, even though it meant very little sleep,” she said. “It was an experience we will never forget, especially after everything the city had been through with Hurricane Harvey.”

Lisa and her family bought World Series tickets secondhand, a move she described as “very expensive but worth every penny.”

“Our kids went to the playoff games. I held out for the World Series because I was so sure we were going to get there.”

While the Astros lost Game 4 to the Dodgers, Lisa says you wouldn’t have known it from the crowd, which stood for much of the game.

“Just the atmosphere and having a family night was worth everything,” she said.

G.O.A.T.

Game 5. A game that will be remembered as the greatest of all time. Once again, JLL employees were there to witness it firsthand.

As a season ticket holder, Pierce Owens was fortunate to attend several postseason games, but he describes Game 5 as the most memorable.

At one point in the game, however, Pierce thought his son was going to miss history. In the bottom of the ninth inning, with the score tied 12-12, Pierce noticed his son’s seat was empty.

“Perhaps he went to the bathroom, but that was certainly odd timing given the game was on the line,” he said.

Pierce soon realized his son, Marshall, had caught the eye of Astros’ Marwin Gonzalez, who was in the on-deck circle. His son had slipped down the steps near the dugout. Marwin pointed at Marshall and tossed him Evan Gattis’ foul ball.

“It was a special moment in an epic game.”

The World Series served as just another opportunity for Houstonians to come together.

“Complete strangers became best friends after that five and a half hour marathon,” said Pierce.

Kent Wiseman and his son were also in attendance at Game 5. Kent says the two of them attended about eight games together during the season, including Game 1 of the ALCS against the Yankees. The two also had the chance to attend the Bagwell Hall of Fame Ceremony, where they met Jeff Bagwell and had their pictures taken with him.

Kent scored tickets from a friend who graciously gave them to him for free. Kent and his 25-year-old son Zachary watched from what he described as perfect tickets, row 25 on the third baseline.

“It was the most amazing game in baseball history,” he said. “To be behind for so long, in a game we were not picked to win, and then the last four innings were unforgettable. Homer after homer. Hit after hit. Not one person left the stadium before the final out.”

Celebrating history

The Houston Astros became World Series Champions after defeating the LA Dodgers 5-1 in Game 7 on Nov. 1, 2017.

With the final out, Houston and the JLL family made fast preparations for a celebration.

Houston President Dan Bellow tried his hand at a pop-up party by hosting an Astros celebration the following day. Employees gathered on the twelfth floor balcony to both celebrate and hatch their plans for attending the World Series Championship Parade.

Several JLL employees attended the parade with friends, family, coworkers and approximately one million fellow Houstonians.

Marketing Associate Valerie Chavez joined Agency Leasing’s Chelsea Womack, Brittany Pernell, Bubba Harkins and Jessica Ochoa to watch from Allen Center – prime parade real estate. The Acre, the newly unveiled greenspace of the Allen Center complex, was reserved for tenants and their guests, giving the team front row seats to the event.

“It was great to see our city come together to celebrate the Astros,” said Valerie. “I’ve never been part of anything like that before.”

As for Capital Markets, the team that parades together, stays together. Capital Markets made a day of the experience, having lunch at Treebeard’s in Market Square Park and then walking to the intersection of Smith and Walker to watch the parade.

Others took the parade as an opportunity to make family memories. Vice President Diana Bridger took her 3-year-old son, William, to the parade with husband, Elliott, and her father, David. The family visited David’s office, grabbed lunch at Beck’s Prime and then headed to the parade, which they watched from Milam.

“We didn’t have much of a view, but at least my son could see from his dad’s shoulders,” said Diana.

William attended a couple games during the season but seemed to be more excited about the fire trucks than the players in the parade. As for his parents, Diana and Elliott attended a playoff game, while her father went to the World Series.

“Since I grew up in Houston, I’ve been an Astros fan forever,” said Diana. “But my favorite memory from the World Series was seeing how happy it made my dad to share in the celebrations with his grandson.”

For the Bridger family, like so many others, the World Series served as the platform for making unforgettable memories.